No-Knead Bread

Where you use towels to hold the dough, I use parchment paper...then I grab the paper, lower it into the 450 degree pot put on the lid, and bake it. No sticking. No burning.

My results were equally perplexing. I used 3 c of flour. Added 1 c butter and 2 c semi sweet morsels. Two eggs and some vanilla. Instead of forming a loaf, I spooned tablespoon sized balls on a baking sheet. Baked for 10 mins at 350. Came out tasting like chocolate chip cookies!!! Not sure what I did wrong. Maybe a little more tweaking will help.

I'm kidding, but you didn't follow a single thing from the original recipe. Your comment has nothing to do with Bittman's recipe.

I've made this for years. I double or triple the batch and after rising 2 hours I put it, tightly covered, in the fridge. The next day I take out a large handful/grapefruit sized amount of dough, shape it and let it rise on the counter on a lightly floured silpat covered with a kitchen towel for 1-2 hours depending on how much time I have. Follow the preheat directions and use the silpat to transfer the dough to the pot. You'll have dough for days and it will taste more complex as days pass.

In a follow-up article, Bittman's article added the recommended weights for the ingredients.
430 grams flour
1 gram yeast
8 grams salt
345 grams water

Bittman also noted he settled on just under a tablespoon of salt -- call it 16 or 17 grams. I use 16 grams.

I've made this for years and, at the outset, found that last rise outside the bowl was a disaster--dough stuck to whatever it was placed on and sprawled all over the counter if left unchecked. I started to do all the rises, including the last one of two to three hours, inside the same steel bowl, and have never looked back. Easier and we've found has the same results

Maybe this will help you: I line a bowl with parchment for the second rise. At that point the dough sticks somewhat. But when it's time to bake, I pick it up by the 4 corners of the parchment and just plop the whole thing into my preheated Creuset Dutch oven, put on the lid, and bake as directed. The parchment peels off easily after baking. The crust is amazingly crisp and the crumb is like in the picture. Just had some with supper tonight.

By weight:
450 g flour
315 g water
9 g salt (1 1/2 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. dry yeast
Or:
450 g flour
285 g water
9 g salt
60 g sourdough starter (100% hydration ratio - 30 g each flour and water)

You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you find you get what you don't knead.

Not 1/4 teaspoon yeast ; but 1/4 ounce equals 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of yeast. Made it as recipe states once ! Obviously flat! Excellent bread

Note to all cooks who use a LeCruset with the Phenolic knob - it is only oven safe to 375 (it will explode and melt in your oven if you put it in the oven at 450). Best to replace with the stainless steel knob, which LeCruset says can withstand any oven temp (available at many retailers and inexpensive).

I have been making this for years. Every time I do, folks declare it the best bread they've ever had. Tip: for an airier crust, increase the water to 1-3/4 cup. I for this tip at th Scottsdale Farmers' Market from the bread chef at The Phoenician resort.

I have been making this for years too and do a lot of variations. Diane: it helped me get over my fear of baking. Also check out Bittman's variations. These days I usually use 1 cup of whole wheat, 2 cups of unbleached white bread flour, handfuls of pumpkin, sunflower, poppy and sesame seed, and one heaping half tsp of instant yeast.
Susan: The towel is definitely the hardest part of the recipe! So I let it rise in a greased bowl, covered.

For those looking to improve the flavor, try slowing the rise!
Cooler temperatures encourage bacterial fermentation, converting starches to sugars that result in a more complex flavor.
After shaping the loaf in step 3, try refrigerating the dough overnight, then allow 6-8 hours at room temperature for the final rise, instead of 2.
It increases the time from 24 hours to as much as 48 (or more), but you'll never know unless you try...
I also prefer more salt.

I have made this general recipe weekly for 5 years...I find it extremely forgiving. I double it, cover, leave it overnight. I stir it away from the sides in the a.m. pop it onto a floured board, cut in 2. Fold each one into itself, make a nice balls. Cover with towel 35 min, while containers heat up. Place each one into the hot dish, place cover on and bake. Gorgeous crusty round bread when done! Slightly more or less of any ingredient doesn't make or break--it is an amazing recipe.

I've made Mr Lahey's bread so many times I've lost count. I've stopped buying bread in stores. I converted the volumetric measures for flour and water to grams and use this recipe: 430g bread flour, 345g water, .25tsp dry active yeast, 1.75 tsp course salt. I use an electronic scale to weigh the flour and water. Works every time.